George Zimmerman Involved in Florida Shooting, Did Not Fire Gun, Police Say

 

George Zimmerman was involved in a shooting incident today in Lake Mary, Florida -- and it involved a man he'd had a previous dust-up with just last year, police said.

Zimmerman flagged down an officer -- saying someone shot at him and his car, said Bianca Gillet, a spokeswoman for the Lake Mary Police Department, at a news conference.

Zimmerman, 31, did not fire his weapon during the road rage incident, police said.

 

Zimmerman's attorney, Don West, said Zimmerman was driving into a retail center when a car came up behind him, flashing its lights and honking. Zimmerman claimed the other driver yelled at him, West said.

When Zimmerman tried to leave, West said, the other driver pulled up and fired a shot through the passenger side window of Zimmerman's truck. The bullet lodged somewhere in the car, West said. According to West, the other driver fled.

Zimmerman had a gun in the car but did not brandish it, according to West. Zimmerman was carrying the gun legally, the attorney said.

Police identified the other driver as Matthew Apperson. Gillet said Apperson called 911, saying he was the other person involved and was requesting police to respond to his location.

 

Police confirmed today that Zimmerman and Apperson had also been involved in a road rage incident in September 2014. During the initial 2014 incident, Apperson claimed Zimmerman threatened to kill him, the Associated Press reported at the time. Apperson declined to press charges at the time. 

After today's incident, Zimmerman was briefly hospitalized and released a short time later.

The investigation into today's shooting is ongoing, police said, and officers did not know if any charges will be filed against Apperson. No arrests have been made in this latest incident.

Police said there were body cameras present, but the videos are not being released at this time.

Zimmerman no longer lives in the area, West said, but he was in town for Mother's Day and a doctor's appointment.

In 2012, Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman in Sanford, Florida, shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

Florida prosecutors tried to convict Zimmerman of state-level murder and manslaughter charges, but in July 2013 a jury acquitted him, saying prosecutors didn't have enough evidence to prove their case.

 

Federal prosecutors also concluded there was not sufficient evidence to prove Zimmerman intentionally violated Martin's civil rights.

 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.